A Grammar of Huti

Introduction

Scope and Purpose

This grammar provides a systematic description of the Huti language (the 1894th one produced by the Language Creator), outlining its sound system, word formation and syntactic structure, with the aim of presenting a coherent account of the language as an integrated whole. Attention has been paid to both regular patterns and minor irregularities, as these together define the internal balance of the language.

The grammar is accompanied by a bilingual dictionary and a collection of illustrative texts, offering material for further study and comparison. The examples have been selected to demonstrate typical constructions and to give a sense of the language in extended use. The description is intended as a reference work for linguists and language enthusiasts alike, and as a foundation for any future research, teaching or creative adaptation of Huti.

Typological Profile

It has proper polysynthesis, the typologically rare OSV basic word order, four genders and no inflections (clitics do the hard work).

Phonology

Phoneme Inventory

Consonants

Huti has 12 consonant phonemes, forming a relatively small inventory.

It has a complete absence of affricates, a complete absence of palatal consonants, something which is a rare occurrence indeed, as well as a strongly reduced sibilant system, a complete absence of phonemic voicing contrasts and an unusually restricted set of labial consonants.

The table below presents the full inventory of consonant phonemes in Huti. The chart lists all places and manners of articulation attested in the language.

labialalveolarlateralvelarglottal
stopp t k
nasalm n
trill/tap/flapr
fricativef s h
approximantw l

Vowels

Huti has 3 vowel qualities. This constitutes a relatively small inventory, with contrasts limited to the vowel categories displayed in the chart. The phonological system relies primarily on these few qualities to encode vocalic distinctions.

It has a fully contrastive long–short vowel distinction across the system, a strikingly compressed height system with only two vowel heights and a full range of vowel qualities even in reduced syllables.

The table below presents the full inventory of vowel phonemes in Huti. The system comprises the distinct vowel qualities listed in the chart.

frontcentralback
closei u
opena

Stress and Tones

Huti has neither phonemic stress nor lexical tone. Prosodic prominence and pitch variation are determined by pragmatic and discourse factors rather than by lexical contrasts.

Phonological Processes

Vowel Harmony

The language employs vowel harmony. To be specific, the following vowels change to match the first vowel of the root: /i/ becomes /u/.

Writing System

Introduction

Huti is normally written using the Latin alphabet, whose familiarity makes it straightforward for most readers. For clarity and precision, phonetic transcriptions in the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) are also provided throughout this grammar.

Orthography

Here are the various components of the orthography:

Simple letters

a /a/f /f/h /h/i /i/
k /k/l /l/m /m/n /n/
p /p/r /r/s /s/t /t/
u /u/w /w/

Multi-letter combinations such as digraphs

aa /aː/ii /iː/uu /uː/

Word Classes and Morphology

Number and Gender

Number

Huti does not have grammatical number.

Gender

Huti has the following genders:

Gender cl.1 – for instance: fii ‘name’, hifi ‘house’, kima ‘north’, lu ‘bird’, ma ‘fight’, maapii ‘top’, mali ‘leg’, miisi ‘wife’, naka ‘south’, pakiisa ‘guts’, pimimii ‘bosom’, risi ‘nose’, ruu ‘woman’, ruupi ‘idea’, safana ‘embrace’, sasupaa ‘tower’, taawa ‘east’, wii ‘daughter’, wiifaa ‘surface’, wiisafii ‘belly’.

Gender cl.2 – for instance: fipa ‘heart’, hifa ‘son’, hihaka ‘breast’, hiiwiwaa ‘library’, kalini ‘vagina’, liilaraa ‘bank’, mipaa ‘back’, naa ‘cat’, nama ‘water’, pamii ‘husband’, papaala ‘religion’, pusii ‘sea’, raa ‘human being’, saama ‘blood’, siitiihaa ‘market’, tarii ‘ear’, tawakii ‘medicine’, wisaki ‘urine’, wisii ‘father’, witawii ‘neighbour’.

Gender cl.3 – for instance: fiikafi ‘snow’, fiiri ‘bed’, fiwima ‘slime’, hasimi ‘knee’, hini ‘rain’, kihuu ‘hand’, latuutaa ‘wing’, maakuki ‘ash’, mapaa ‘egg’, naatata ‘neck’, nisila ‘smoke’, paa ‘animal’, ri ‘fish’, sala ‘sun’, siihaanaa ‘money’, tafii ‘leaf’, tanati ‘salt’, wiraari ‘fat’, witina ‘bark’, wiwati ‘flower’.

Gender cl.4 – for instance: huuna ‘knife’, kaamuu ‘night’, laawaala ‘wild boar’, liisata ‘binoculars’, liniimi ‘umbrella’, mihi ‘tooth’, naliisa ‘lamb’, napaafi ‘machine’, napuu ‘skin’, paafarii ‘mortar’, pihifi ‘louse’, sii ‘language’, siihaa ‘book’, sisusi ‘cloud’, taapa ‘bone’, tasuu ‘eye’, tihula ‘net’, tinini ‘worm’, waawifa ‘stick’, wiwi ‘stone’.

The Nominal Phrase

Nominal phrases in Huti can be exemplified by the following example:

Luu furu kihiira sapa sana laa ruu wafima laa huunasuufuu lani wafi sisi pana.

[luː furu kihiːra sapa sana laː ruː wafima laː huːnasuːfuː lani wafi sisi pana]

luː
yon
firu
three
kihiːra
mouse
sapa
blind
sana
plur
laː
the
ruː
woman
wafima
COMIT
laː
the
huːna
knife
-siːfiː
cl.4
lani
ACT
wafi
catch
sisi
PAST
pana
3.plur.cl.1.OBJ

“The woman with the knife caught those three blind mice.”

(1)

In the following, we shall look at the various components in more details.

All nominal phrase clitics in Huti are enclitics (placed finally), and there are two types: a clitic expressing number, comprising sana /sana/ ‘plur’ followed by a clitic expressing case, comprising lani /lani/ ‘ACT’, tani /tani/ ‘DAT’, miika /miːka/ ‘INS’, nini /nini/ ‘VOC’, paari /paːri/ ‘ALL’, tisa /tisa/ ‘LOC’, hanaa /hanaː/ ‘ABL’ and paaka /paːka/ ‘PART’.

The morphology of the elements of the nominal phrase, i.e., nouns, adjectives, numerals and pronouns, is described below, as is the way that possession is expressed in Huti.

The Noun

The noun in Huti consists of the root followed by an optional suffix expressing gender, comprising -fafii /-fafiː/ ‘cl.2’, -mapa /-mapa/ ‘cl.3’ and -siifii /-siːfiː/ ‘cl.4’.

The noun displays the following derivational morphology: 39 suffixes, namely -mani /-mani/ ‘little’, -raafa /-raːfa/ ‘big’, -nali /-nali/ ‘old’, -nalaa /-nalaː/ ‘new’, -sawa /-sawa/ ‘good’, -pimi /-pimi/ ‘bad’, -nata /-nata/ ‘make’, -marii /-mariː/ ‘help’, -riki /-riki/ ‘have’, -fiifaa /-fiːfaː/ ‘use’, -lasaa /-lasaː/ ‘see’, -sisa /-sisa/ ‘break’, -wiita /-wiːta/ ‘eat’, -niiwa /-niːwa/ ‘drink’, -riwi /-riwi/ ‘wear’, -fami /-fami/ ‘own’, -fipaa /-fipaː/ ‘contain’, -waami /-waːmi/ ‘hold’, -rinaa /-rinaː/ ‘lack’, -niti /-niti/ ‘touch’, -sita /-sita/ ‘carry’, -tiina /-tiːna/ ‘find’, -paala /-paːla/ ‘hunt’, -kina /-kina/ ‘guard’, -fifii /-fifiː/ ‘search’, -tifaa /-tifaː/ ‘learn’, -niila /-niːla/ ‘teach’, -tiitii /-tiːtiː/ ‘follow’, -kini /-kini/ ‘chase’, -narii /-nariː/ ‘build’, -lisii /-lisiː/ ‘burn’, -pinaa /-pinaː/ ‘hit’, -nana /-nana/ ‘take’, -paafii /-paːfiː/ ‘cut’, -piwaa /-piwaː/ ‘hear’, -pafi /-pafi/ ‘know’, -hanii /-haniː/ ‘love’, -lati /-lati/ ‘protect’ and -sina /-sina/ ‘possess’

The Adjective

The adjective in Huti stands alone without any prefixes or suffixes attached to it.

Numerals

The numeral in Huti stands alone without any prefixes or suffixes attached to it.

Determiners

The determiner in Huti stands alone without any prefixes or suffixes attached to it.

Pronouns

The pronoun in Huti stands alone without any prefixes or suffixes attached to it.

In Huti, subject pronouns (but not object pronouns ones) are dropped unless they are stressed. Here is an example where neither of the pronouns are stressed:

Fuuhanuu fasi.

[fuːhanuː fasi]

fuː
girl
-haniː
love
fasi
3.sing.cl.2.SUBJ

“He (the boy) loves her (the girl).”

(2)

But here, the word corresponding to he (i.e., the subject) is stressed:

Kuu fuuhanuu fasi.

[kuː fuːhanuː fasi]

kuː
3.sing.cl.2
fuː
girl
-haniː
love
fasi
3.sing.cl.2.SUBJ

“He loves her.”

(3)

Proper Nouns

Laa Kaapipa laa Nalilaafafii lani pifawaa fasi saali.

[laː kaːpipa laː nalilaːfafiː lani pifawaː fasi saːli]

laː
the
kaːpipa
Kapipa
laː
the
nalilaː
Nalila
-fafiː
cl.2
lani
ACT
pifawaː
hate
fasi
3.sing.cl.2.SUBJ
saːli
3.sing.cl.1.OBJ

“Nalila hates Kapipa.”

(4)

Possession

laa likiifafii laa papina

[laː likiːfafiː laː papina]

laː
the
likiː
boy
-fafiː
cl.2
laː
the
papina
apple

“the boy’s apple”

(5)
kuu laa papina

[kuː laː papina]

kuː
3.sing.cl.2
laː
the
papina
apple

“his (the boy’s) apple”

(6)
la laa papina

[la laː papina]

la
1excl.sing
laː
the
papina
apple

“my apple”

(7)
Rii laa witawiifafii laa hifafafii laa kiisanifafii laa wii lani kaniri sisi tita.

[riː laː witawiːfafiː laː hifafafiː laː kiːsanifafiː laː wiː lani kaniri sisi tita]

riː
2.sing
laː
the
witawiː
neighbour
-fafiː
cl.2
laː
the
hifa
son
-fafiː
cl.2
laː
the
kiːsani
hunter
-fafiː
cl.2
laː
the
wiː
daughter
lani
ACT
kaniri
kiss
sisi
PAST
tita
3.sing.cl.2.OBJ

“The hunter’s daughter kissed your neighbour’s son.”

(8)

Derivation

naliisasiifii

[naliːsasiːfiː]

naliːsa
lamb
-siːfiː
cl.4

“a lamb”

(9)
naliisamanisiifii

[naliːsamanisiːfiː]

naliːsa
lamb
-mani
little
-siːfiː
cl.4

“a little lamb”

(10)
Naliisamaniriki sisi.

[naliːsamaniriki sisi]

naliːsa
lamb
-mani
little
-riki
have
sisi
PAST

“She had a little lamb.”

(11)
Naliisamanirikifilaa sisi.

[naliːsamanirikifilaː sisi]

naliːsa
lamb
-mani
little
-riki
have
-filaː
want
sisi
PAST

“She wanted to have a little lamb.”

(12)
Naliisamanisiifii lani paawi sisi pati kafa faafuu si sisi saali.

[naliːsamanisiːfiː lani paːwi sisi pati kafa faːfuː si sisi saːli]

naliːsa
lamb
-mani
little
-siːfiː
cl.4
lani
ACT
paːwi
have
sisi
PAST
pati
3.sing.cl.4.SUBJ
kafa
COMP
faːfuː
want
si
often
sisi
PAST
saːli
3.sing.cl.1.OBJ

“She often wanted to have a little lamb.”

(13)
Naliisamanisiifii lani paawi sisi pati kafa ki faafuu si sisi saali kafa wumu sisi saali kafa sini wamaa nasi saali waafi?

[naliːsamanisiːfiː lani paːwi sisi pati kafa ki faːfuː si sisi saːli kafa wumu sisi saːli kafa sini wamaː nasi saːli waːfi]

naliːsa
lamb
-mani
little
-siːfiː
cl.4
lani
ACT
paːwi
have
sisi
PAST
pati
3.sing.cl.4.SUBJ
kafa
COMP
ki
3.sing.cl.1
faːfuː
want
si
often
sisi
PAST
saːli
3.sing.cl.1.OBJ
kafa
COMP
wimu
think
sisi
PAST
saːli
3.sing.cl.1.OBJ
kafa
COMP
sini
be
wamaː
NEG
nasi
2.sing.SUBJ
saːli
3.sing.cl.1.OBJ
waːfi
Q

“Are you not one of those who thought that she often wanted to have a little lamb?”

(14)

Compounding

Verbs

Inflectional Categories

All verbal phrase clitics in Huti are enclitics (placed finally), and there are 9 types: first, a clitic expressing ta, comprising sisi /sisi/ ‘PAST’; second, a clitic expressing mode, comprising kini /kini/ ‘imperative’, wawa /wawa/ ‘conditional’ and nawa /nawa/ ‘optative’; third, a clitic expressing voice, comprising tafi /tafi/ ‘passive’; fourth, a clitic expressing negation, comprising wamaa /wamaː/ ‘NEG’; fifth, a clitic expressing subj, comprising mata /mata/ ‘1incl.sing’, tara /tara/ ‘1excl.sing’, nasi /nasi/ ‘2.sing’, fasi /fasi/ ‘3.sing.cl.2’, hiisa /hiːsa/ ‘3.sing.cl.3’, pati /pati/ ‘3.sing.cl.4’, hata /hata/ ‘1incl.plur’, nipa /nipa/ ‘1excl.plur’, lama /lama/ ‘2.plur’, nala /nala/ ‘3.plur.cl.1’, paasa /paːsa/ ‘3.plur.cl.2’, fiila /fiːla/ ‘3.plur.cl.3’ and waahaa /waːhaː/ ‘3.plur.cl.4’; sixth, a clitic expressing obj, comprising naata /naːta/ ‘1incl.sing’, rari /rari/ ‘1excl.sing’, raaka /raːka/ ‘2.sing’, saali /saːli/ ‘3.sing.cl.1’, tita /tita/ ‘3.sing.cl.2’, fiha /fiha/ ‘3.sing.cl.3’, saata /saːta/ ‘3.sing.cl.4’, naakii /naːkiː/ ‘1incl.plur’, laanii /laːniː/ ‘1excl.plur’, filii /filiː/ ‘2.plur’, pana /pana/ ‘3.plur.cl.1’, palaa /palaː/ ‘3.plur.cl.2’, kikii /kikiː/ ‘3.plur.cl.3’ and fanii /faniː/ ‘3.plur.cl.4’; seventh, a clitic expressing indobj, comprising taki /taki/ ‘1incl.sing’, lali /lali/ ‘1excl.sing’, sali /sali/ ‘2.sing’, fara /fara/ ‘3.sing.cl.1’, kapa /kapa/ ‘3.sing.cl.2’, miwa /miwa/ ‘3.sing.cl.3’, wipi /wipi/ ‘3.sing.cl.4’, piri /piri/ ‘1incl.plur’, saasa /saːsa/ ‘1excl.plur’, mipa /mipa/ ‘2.plur’, sawa /sawa/ ‘3.plur.cl.1’, naasii /naːsiː/ ‘3.plur.cl.2’, kami /kami/ ‘3.plur.cl.3’ and saki /saki/ ‘3.plur.cl.4’; eighth, a clitic expressing question, comprising waafi /waːfi/ ‘Q’; and finally, ninth, a clitic expressing comp, comprising kafa /kafa/ ‘COMP’.

The verb itself does not have any prefixes or suffixes attached to it.

The verb displays the following derivational morphology: 19 suffixes, namely -milii /-miliː/ ‘begin’, -laafa /-laːfa/ ‘stop’, -tiiwa /-tiːwa/ ‘continue’, -wiraa /-wiraː/ ‘try’, -kama /-kama/ ‘start’, -filaa /-filaː/ ‘want’, -fapi /-fapi/ ‘can’, -siraa /-siraː/ ‘finish’, -fala /-fala/ ‘need’, -siima /-siːma/ ‘decide’, -kiiti /-kiːti/ ‘fail’, -rahi /-rahi/ ‘hope’, -mana /-mana/ ‘must’, -siwa /-siwa/ ‘pretend’, -sasa /-sasa/ ‘let’, -tiipa /-tiːpa/ ‘force’, -naara /-naːra/ ‘keep’, -niirii /-niːriː/ ‘cause’ and -tiiwi /-tiːwi/ ‘allow’

Rii liipi tara raaka.

[riː liːpi tara raːka]

riː
2.sing
liːpi
love
tara
1excl.sing.SUBJ
raːka
2.sing.OBJ

“I love you.”

(15)

Adverbs Minor Classes

Adpositions

There is one type of clitic in the adpositional phrase, namely an enclitic (placed finally), expressing root.

lakuu laa pifimapa wiifaa tisa

[lakuː laː pifimapa wiːfaː tisa]

lakuː
in
laː
the
pifi
table
-mapa
cl.3
wiːfaː
surface
tisa
LOC

“on the table”

(16)
liiwa laa fasaatiisiifii fiiha tani

[liːwa laː fasaːtiːsiːfiː fiːha tani]

liːwa
to
laː
the
fasaːtiː
box
-siːfiː
cl.4
fiːha
inside
tani
DAT

“into the box”

(17)
wafima la tisa

[wafima la tisa]

wafima
COMIT
la
1excl.sing
tisa
LOC

“with me”

(18)

Syntax

Basic Clause Structure

Constituent Order

Constituent order describes the typical arrangement of the subject (S), verb (V) and object (O) in simple declarative clauses. It is a fundamental parameter in grammatical description and forms one of the clearest ways of characterising the overall structure of a language’s clause system.

Huti adopts Object–Subject–Verb (OSV) as its unmarked word order. The object precedes the subject, and the verb appears clause-finally. OSV is a rare ordering pattern but is attested in a small number of languages.

The following examples illustrate the basic, unmarked, constituent order in Huti.

Laa kiisanifafii laa kafinaamapa lani natii sisi hiisa tita.

[laː kiːsanifafiː laː kafinaːmapa lani natiː sisi hiːsa tita]

laː
the
kiːsani
hunter
-fafiː
cl.2
laː
the
kafinaː
jaguar
-mapa
cl.3
lani
ACT
natiː
kill
sisi
PAST
hiːsa
3.sing.cl.3.SUBJ
tita
3.sing.cl.2.OBJ

“The jaguar killed the hunter.”

(19)
Laa kiisanifafii laa wii laa kaa laa matukasuufuu lani pata sisi pati saali.

[laː kiːsanifafiː laː wiː laː kaː laː matukasuːfuː lani pata sisi pati saːli]

laː
the
kiːsani
hunter
-fafiː
cl.2
laː
the
wiː
daughter
laː
the
kaː
dog
laː
the
matuka
lion
-siːfiː
cl.4
lani
ACT
pata
eat
sisi
PAST
pati
3.sing.cl.4.SUBJ
saːli
3.sing.cl.1.OBJ

“The lion ate the hunter’s daughter’s dog.”

(20)

The language has a fixed constituent order, and major phrases normally appear in a predictable position in the clause. Movement for discourse reasons is highly restricted: topics and foci are expressed not by rearranging elements, but through dedicated constructions such as clefts, focus clauses or topic–comment frames. Constituents remain continuous, and both the relative order of phrases and the internal structure of each phrase are stable. As a result, significant deviations from the basic word order are ungrammatical, and discourse structure is managed through these specialised constructions rather than through word-order variation.

Noun Phrases

Structure and Order

The internal structure of noun phrases in Huti reveals typologically significant preferences in the ordering of nominal constituents. This includes the position of adjectives, numerals, and possessors relative to the noun, each of which can offer clues to the overall headedness of the language.

Possessive constructions are head-final: the possessor precedes the possessed noun. For example, Huti expresses “the child’s toy” with the equivalent of “child toy”. This ordering is found in many SOV and postpositional languages and aligns with a broader tendency towards modifier-first structures.

rii laa hifafafii laa nifafafii laa siihaasiifii

[riː laː hifafafiː laː nifafafiː laː siːhaːsiːfiː]

riː
2.sing
laː
the
hifa
son
-fafiː
cl.2
laː
the
nifa
friend
-fafiː
cl.2
laː
the
siːhaː
book
-siːfiː
cl.4

“your son’s friend’s book”

(21)

Case Marking

Huti uses active case marking. Intransitive subjects are divided according to how they participate in the event. More agent-like subjects, such as the subject of ‘run’ or ‘shout’, pattern with transitive subjects and take the active or agentive case. Less agent-like subjects, such as the subject of ‘sleep’ or ‘be ill’, pattern with transitive objects and take the patientive or absolutive case. This system makes sense where the grammar treats control, volition or affectedness as more important than the simple distinction between subject and object.

Laa naafafii kiraa fasi.

[laː naːfafiː kiraː fasi]

laː
the
naː
cat
-fafiː
cl.2
kiraː
sleep
fasi
3.sing.cl.2.SUBJ

“The cat is sleeping.”

(22)
Laa naafafii lani maki fasi.

[laː naːfafiː lani maki fasi]

laː
the
naː
cat
-fafiː
cl.2
lani
ACT
maki
run
fasi
3.sing.cl.2.SUBJ

“The cat is running.”

(23)
Laa kihiira laa naafafii lani fulura fasi saali.

[laː kihiːra laː naːfafiː lani fulura fasi saːli]

laː
the
kihiːra
mouse
laː
the
naː
cat
-fafiː
cl.2
lani
ACT
filura
chase
fasi
3.sing.cl.2.SUBJ
saːli
3.sing.cl.1.OBJ

“The cat is chasing the mouse.”

(24)
Laa kihiira laa naafafii lani wafi sisi fasi saali.

[laː kihiːra laː naːfafiː lani wafi sisi fasi saːli]

laː
the
kihiːra
mouse
laː
the
naː
cat
-fafiː
cl.2
lani
ACT
wafi
catch
sisi
PAST
fasi
3.sing.cl.2.SUBJ
saːli
3.sing.cl.1.OBJ

“The cat caught the mouse.”

(25)

Conjunctions

Here is an example of a conjunction.

Laa kafinaamapa sana ti laa faafapafafii sana ti laa matukasuufuu sana laa kiisanifafii lani natii sisi fasi palaa.

[laː kafinaːmapa sana ti laː faːfapafafiː sana ti laː matukasuːfuː sana laː kiːsanifafiː lani natiː sisi fasi palaː]

laː
the
kafinaː
jaguar
-mapa
cl.3
sana
plur
ti
and
laː
the
faːfapa
tiger
-fafiː
cl.2
sana
plur
ti
and
laː
the
matuka
lion
-siːfiː
cl.4
sana
plur
laː
the
kiːsani
hunter
-fafiː
cl.2
lani
ACT
natiː
kill
sisi
PAST
fasi
3.sing.cl.2.SUBJ
palaː
3.plur.cl.2.OBJ

“The hunter killed the jaguars, the tigers and the lions.”

(26)

Modifiers and Determiners

The ordering of demonstratives, articles (if present), and other modifiers in Huti provides further insight into the structure of the noun phrase. These elements frequently exhibit fixed positions and may reveal whether the language favours head-initial or head-final patterns.

Complex Sentences

Relative Clauses

Huti uses the correlative strategy to form relative clauses. The relative clause is introduced by a dedicated relativiser and appears as an independent clause. The main clause contains a demonstrative that corresponds to the relativiser and identifies the element being modified. The relative clause precedes the main clause when used on its own, and follows the head noun when it functions as a modifier. The internal structure of both clauses is fully finite.

To illustrate how relative clauses work, let us begin with a simple sentence:

Laa naafafii paatima sisi tara tita.

[laː naːfafiː paːtima sisi tara tita]

laː
the
naː
cat
-fafiː
cl.2
paːtima
pat
sisi
PAST
tara
1excl.sing.SUBJ
tita
3.sing.cl.2.OBJ

“I patted the cat.”

(27)

We can now add a relative clause modifying the noun:

Laa kihiira wafi sisi fasi saali kuu paatima sisi tara tita ni.

[laː kihiːra wafi sisi fasi saːli kuː paːtima sisi tara tita ni]

laː
the
kihiːra
mouse
wafi
catch
sisi
PAST
fasi
3.sing.cl.2.SUBJ
saːli
3.sing.cl.1.OBJ
kuː
3.sing.cl.2
paːtima
pat
sisi
PAST
tara
1excl.sing.SUBJ
tita
3.sing.cl.2.OBJ
ni
then

“I patted the cat that caught the mouse.”

(28)

Relative clauses may themselves contain other relative clauses:

Laa hawaatii pata sisi saali ki wafi sisi fasi saali ni kuu paatima sisi tara tita ni.

[laː hawaːtiː pata sisi saːli ki wafi sisi fasi saːli ni kuː paːtima sisi tara tita ni]

laː
the
hawaːtiː
cheese
pata
eat
sisi
PAST
saːli
3.sing.cl.1.OBJ
ki
3.sing.cl.1
wafi
catch
sisi
PAST
fasi
3.sing.cl.2.SUBJ
saːli
3.sing.cl.1.OBJ
ni
then
kuː
3.sing.cl.2
paːtima
pat
sisi
PAST
tara
1excl.sing.SUBJ
tita
3.sing.cl.2.OBJ
ni
then

“I patted the cat that caught the mouse that ate the cheese.”

(29)

Finally, here is an example containing several layers of embedding:

Ki laka sisi tara saali ki pata sisi saali ni ki wafi sisi fasi saali ni kuu paatima sisi tara tita ni.

[ki laka sisi tara saːli ki pata sisi saːli ni ki wafi sisi fasi saːli ni kuː paːtima sisi tara tita ni]

ki
3.sing.cl.1
laka
buy
sisi
PAST
tara
1excl.sing.SUBJ
saːli
3.sing.cl.1.OBJ
ki
3.sing.cl.1
pata
eat
sisi
PAST
saːli
3.sing.cl.1.OBJ
ni
then
ki
3.sing.cl.1
wafi
catch
sisi
PAST
fasi
3.sing.cl.2.SUBJ
saːli
3.sing.cl.1.OBJ
ni
then
kuː
3.sing.cl.2
paːtima
pat
sisi
PAST
tara
1excl.sing.SUBJ
tita
3.sing.cl.2.OBJ
ni
then

“I patted the cat that caught the mouse that ate the cheese that I bought.”

(30)

Complementation Strategies

Huti marks complement clauses with subordinating verbal morphology. The embedded verb is fully finite and carries a subordinating suffix that identifies the clause as a complement. No structural changes occur within the clause apart from this verbal marking.

The following example illustrate how complement clauses function:

Laa siisaanaafafii tani papina laa fuu tani laa likiifafii lani pulu sisi fasi saali fara kafa lani walisii sisi kapa.

[laː siːsaːnaːfafiː tani papina laː fuː tani laː likiːfafiː lani pulu sisi fasi saːli fara kafa lani walisiː sisi kapa]

laː
the
siːsaːnaː
teacher
-fafiː
cl.2
tani
DAT
papina
apple
laː
the
fuː
girl
tani
DAT
laː
the
likiː
boy
-fafiː
cl.2
lani
ACT
pilu
give
sisi
PAST
fasi
3.sing.cl.2.SUBJ
saːli
3.sing.cl.1.OBJ
fara
3.sing.cl.1.INDOBJ
kafa
COMP
lani
ACT
walisiː
surprise
sisi
PAST
kapa
3.sing.cl.2.INDOBJ

“It surprised the teacher that the boy had given the girl an apple.”

(31)

Quotes

Huti expresses quoted or reported speech without a dedicated quotative particle. Quotations appear as ordinary clauses, distinguished only by the surrounding syntactic context or by the use of verbs of speaking.

Here is an example of how quotations are expressed:

Rii la lani liipi tara raaka kafa laa fuu tani laa likiifafii lani miifa sisi fasi raaka fara.

[riː la lani liːpi tara raːka kafa laː fuː tani laː likiːfafiː lani miːfa sisi fasi raːka fara]

riː
2.sing
la
1excl.sing
lani
ACT
liːpi
love
tara
1excl.sing.SUBJ
raːka
2.sing.OBJ
kafa
COMP
laː
the
fuː
girl
tani
DAT
laː
the
likiː
boy
-fafiː
cl.2
lani
ACT
miːfa
tell
sisi
PAST
fasi
3.sing.cl.2.SUBJ
raːka
2.sing.OBJ
fara
3.sing.cl.1.INDOBJ

“The boy told the girl that he loved her.”

(32)

How to cite this grammar

Language Creator. 2026. A Grammar of Huti. Generated by the Language Creator, version 0.92, on 18 October 2026. https://languagecreator.org/grammar/677YE

In BibTeX format:

@misc{LC-677YE,
  year         = 2026,
  author       = {{Language Creator}},
  title        = {A Grammar of {Huti}},
  howpublished = {\url{https://languagecreator.org/grammar/677YE}},
  note         = {Generated by the Language Creator, version 0.92, on 18 October 2026}
}

Supplementary Materials

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